Response to Victory of Thom Tillis in Republican Primary

For Immediate Release

NC STATE AFL-CIO RESPONDS TO REPUBLICAN NOMINATION OF THOM TILLIS FOR U.S. SENATE

“Organized greed has its best champion in Thom Tillis.”

Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, [email protected], 336-255-2711

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 6, 2014) – The North Carolina State AFL-CIO released the following statement from President James Andrews in response to the outcome of the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

“Organized greed has its best champion in Thom Tillis, and his choices tell us why.

“As Speaker of the State House, Thom Tillis chose to make deep and permanent cuts to unemployment insurance benefits in order to repay a temporary debt caused by recession and years of underfunding by employers. Then Tillis cruelly chose to enact those cuts in such a way as to needlessly deprive long-term jobless North Carolinians of their federal emergency extended benefits.

“Thom Tillis chose to repeal North Carolina’s tax on inherited wealth to benefit just 23 wealthy estates at the cost of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which provided tax relief for over 900,000 hard-working families.

“Despite record income inequality and the increasing concentration of employment in economic sectors that pay poverty-level wages, Thom Tillis chose to campaign against raising the federal minimum wage, going so far as to declare the very existence of a minimum wage ‘dangerous’.

“The real danger would be having in Thom Tillis a second U.S. Senator from North Carolina who can be bought by Art Pope, the Koch Brothers, and their corporate front-groups, which is why between now and November 4th, organized workers and their families will work hard to re-elect Senator Kay Hagan.”

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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing over one-hundred thousand union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working families. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.

Thom Tillis